Automatic fire and burglar alarm.



0. O. MANN & W. H. WHITLEY.

AUTOMATIC FIRE AND BURGLAR ALARM,

Patented Mar. 5,1918.

2 SHEETSASHEET' 1 APPLICATION FILED OCT-28. 1915- 1,258,350.

56: i, 55 Z5 i I 55 7% i Y 59 v 6 6 NvENT0 I A "a $49,? BY WMMMM 9/ 1 ATTOR 0. 0. MANN & W. H. WHITLEY.

AUTOMATIC FIRE AND BURGLAR ALARM.

APPLICATlON FILED OCTZS. m5.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESSES OSCAR 0. MANN AND WILLIAM H. WHITLEY, OF GORIVIAN, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC FIRE AND BURGLAR ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

Application filed October 28, 1915. Serial No. 58,425.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OSCAR O. MANN and WILLIAM H. WHITLEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Gorman, in the county of Eastland and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire and Burglar Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to alarms and more particularly to an automatic fire and burglar alarm.

The primary object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved casing in which is operatively mounted an alarm mechanism, the casing having means associated therewith for receiving a weight, the latterbeing preferably associated with a cord .which is adapted for either attachment to a window or to a room in such a maimer that, when a fire occurs the cordwill burn or upon the raising of a window, the weight will move and enter the receiving means for consequently actuating the alarm mechanism.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved lever movably mounted within the casing, one end being arranged beneath the receiving or guiding hopper for receiving the weight as it falls through the hopper, the opposite end of the .lever being removably associated with the alarm mechanism for releasing the trigger thereof to alarm the occupants of the building of the presence of a fire or a burglar.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of improved spring means for association with a cord the spring means being in engagement with an actuatmg rod when the cord is broken or released to permit of the rod releasing the alarm from engagement with the alarm mechanlsm to allow the sounding of the alarm.

A still further object of this invention resides in the provision of a device of the character described that is simple in construction, efficient in operation and one that can be manufactured and placed on the market at a minimum cost.

Other objects as well as the nature, characteristic features and scope of this invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevational view of our invention with the cover, removed from the casing, showing the alarm after it has been released, the dotted lines illustrating the position of the lever when thealarm is inactive;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view with the cover removed, illustrating to advantage the operation of the spring arm, the dotted lines showing the position of the arm, rod and lever preparatory to the releasing of the arm; 7

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the invention with a portion of the casing removed to illustrate the arrangement;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the actuating rod;

Fig. 5 illustrates the means for depending the weight and Fig. 6 is a modified form of the alarm.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate like or throughout the different views, we provide a rectangular casing 1, the casing having securing brackets 2 connected to the ends thereof for association with the wall or other support of a building through the medium of fastening devices, preferably screws 3, the outer ends of the securing brackets extending slightly beyond the front face of the casing and provided with slots 4- for removably receiving extensions 5 carried by a removable closure 6. Inward movement of the closure is limited through the medium of strip-s 7 secured to the inner surfaces of the ends of the casing.

Mounted within the casing is our improved alarm, in this instance constituting hell 8 removably secured to the rear wall of the casing through the medium of the screw 9. The actuating mechanism for the bell is of the usual type, comprising the usual frame 10 removably secured to the rear wall through the medium of fastening devices 11. A main shaft 12 is rotatably and transversely mounted in the frame. Associated with the frame and shaft 12 is a spiral spring 13, one end thereof being rigidly connected to one side of the frame as illustrated by the numeral 14, the opposite end being rigidly connected to the shaft corresponding parts 12 so that when the shaft is rotated through the medium of the operating key 15 on the outer screw-threaded end thereof, the spring will be wound about the shaft. Another shaft 16 is rotatably and transversely associated with the frame, said shaft having a gear wheel 17 rigidly connected thereto. A double acting pawl 18 is associated with the gear wheel 17, the pawl being earned by an oscillating shaft 19 transversely mounted in the frame. A trigger 20 extends from the oscillating shaft 19 and is provided 011 the outer end thereof with a head 21 for contact with the bell 8. In order to impart rotary movement to the shaft 16 to conscquenly sound the alarm, We have loosely mounted a gear wheel 22 to the shaft 12, the gear wheel being in mesh with a pmion 23 rigidly carried by the shaft 16. To allow the winding of the spring 13 and prevent actuation of the shaft l6,wve have rigidly connected a ratchet wheel 21 to the shaft 12, the wheel being engageable by a spring held pawl 25 pivotally associated with the gear wheel 22.

The novel means for releasably controlling the actuation of the alarm in this instance comprises a lever 26 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends "to a supporting bracket 27, the latter in turn being rigidly connected to the bottom of the casing through the medium of suitable fastening devices 28. One end .of the lever is bent at right angles to the body thereof to provide a catch 29, a portion of the main body ad acent the point of distortion of the catch being provided with a recess 30 so that the angularly bent end 31 of an arm 32, extending from the oscillating shaft 17, may be arranged beneath the catch.

In order to actuate the lever 26, We have mounted a receiving and guiding hopper 33 in the top of the casing adjacent the opposite end -'of the casing in which the bell is arranged in a manner .so that the tapered lower end thereof is disposed adjacent a weight receiving pan 34: carried by the free end of the lever 26. Disposed above the open end of the hopper are a plurality of weights 35 suspended from cords 36 each being trained about a'wheel 37 and connected to various rooms in the building or to windows in the walls of the rooms, not shown. It will now be understood that when the window is raised by surreptitiousparties or in the event of a fire being present the raising of the window will allow the cords to slide downwardly or the fire will burn the cord and allow the weight to which the cord is connected to fall down into the hopper and finally strike the receiving pan 34: which causes the catch 29 on the lever to move upwardly and release the arm 32 to consequently sound an alarm.

A slightly modified form for sounding the r to belimited to the exact details shown, howalarm consists of a spring arm 38, one end thereof being rigidly connected to the upper surfaceof thetop through the medium of a fastening device 39, the opposite end thereof having the cord 36 associated therewith.

Now when the cord moves downwardly or breaks the free end thereof will strike the head 10 of a slidably mounted actuating rod 41 in the casing, causing the rod to slide downwardly against the tension of a coil spring 42 disposed .thereabout and allow a lug 4-3 projecting therefrom to strike the operating end of th lever on which "the catch 29 'is'formed, causing this end ofthe lever to be forced downwardly over the angular'bent end 31 of the arm 32 and thus sound the alarm.

In Fig. 6, we'have'provided a fuse i l from which depend a plurality of caps 45. This arrangement is preferably adapted for association with a chimney or other fire place so that in the event of a fire the caps '45 will explode. The fuse 4A is in connection with one of the cords 36 and when thefuse breaks one of the weights will be released and thus sound thealarm.

Although we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, we desire to be understood that we are not ever, we desire that great stress be laid upon the arrangement of the guiding hopper and the actuating lever26 for association with the alarm mechanism. Attention is also 'directed tothe arrangement of thespring arm and slidably mounted actuating rod. With respect to the weights 35 it is of courseto be understood that several may be employed, each being numbered to correspond to the room number to which the cord 36 is positioned. This will enable the first one to reach the alarm to determine just Where the fir: is burning or where the burglaris presen From the above description taken in 0011 nection with the accompanying drawings, it can easily be seen that we have provided a devlce that is simple in construction, containing but a few simple "parts that can be cheaply manufactured and assembled and when assembled canbep'lac'ed upon themarket and sold at a'minimu'mcost.

It will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only the preferred embodiment of our lnvention and that various minor changes in detail of construction, proportlon and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims and without sacrificing any of theiadvantages of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is':- V

1. An automatic fire and burglar alarm including a casing, an alarm mechanism mounted therein, a lever pivotally mounted within the casing for normally retaining the alarm mechanism in an inoperative position, a weight receiving pan disposed upon one end of the lever, an operating rod means on said rod to cooperate with the lever means for releasably retaining the rod in one position, and spring means serving to move the rod when released to operate said lever for permitting the alarm mechanism to sound.

2. In an automatic fire and burglar alarm, the combination with a casing and an alarm mechanism mounted therein, of a lever pivotally mounted within the casing and having one end normally serving as a catch to retain the alarm in an inoperative position, a T-shaped movable rod vertically positioned approximately at right angles to the lever between the pivot and the catch end,

said rod being provided with a projection adapted to engage with the upper side of the lever, a spring serving to move the rod upward, aspring arm having one end rigidly connected to the top of the casing and its other end is adapted to engage with the top of the rod, said arm being normally and releasably retained out of contact with the rod, so that when the arm is released it will drive said rod downward causing its projection to move the catch of the lever to release the alarm mechanism.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

OSCAR O. MANN. WILLIAM H. WI-IITLEY.

Witnesses:

J. B. MCENTIRE, WM. CoLLIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

